


Tony's (Unofficial) Child

by BeccaIsHigh



Series: Peter Parker's Extended Family [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: & is a friendship tag, All the Avengers live together still, Also Bucky is there, BEFORE I GET NASTY COMMENTS, Irondad, Just gotta clarify, Not Canon Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, PETER IS NOT BEING SHIPPED WITH TONY HERE, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Why?, why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2020-12-23 20:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21087524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaIsHigh/pseuds/BeccaIsHigh
Summary: Tony always claims that Peter is just a kid he has a lot of faith in. He says he's smart, powerful, and has a good moral compass. Their relationship was just supposed to be Tony helping Peter become something greater.So why does Tony feel what could best be described as "motherly panic" when Peter gets hurt?OrTony realizes he's accidentally adopted Peter and will definitely not be giving him back anytime soon.





	Tony's (Unofficial) Child

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this! I just wanted to write a cute Irondad and Spider-child fic because Endgame rewatches gave me major feels. If you like this, I'd recommend checking out my other story "Peter Parker's Extended Family" since it's similar. Thanks again, and comments, kudos, and feedback are always my best friends!

Tony Stark was Peter Parker's mentor. Sure, he invested millions into Peter's suit, spent hours teaching the kid about creating and fixing his tech, and occasionally gave Peter stern, parent-like warnings, but those were all part of the deal. Tony cared about Peter, sure, but Peter was just another hero he worked with, and shouldn't get special treatment.

This is what Tony believes until Peter almost dies. The event with a villain that decided to throw Peter off a skyscraper is too close for comfort, and when Tony hears about what happened to Peter, his stomach drops. That night, Tony paced for hours, obsessing over what could have happened if he had been any less lucky. What was he thinking, taking away Peter's suit the week before to punish him? He should have known the kid would have continued to worry about the guy even though he was told to drop it. What if he didn't have those web shooters he hid in his bag? What could've occurred then?

Needless to say, Tony was a wreck, and had to see Peter as soon as possible afterwards. He needed to know the kid was okay. He had to see him with his own eyes. 

This led to a very tired Peter freaking out at 6am upon seeing Tony sitting in the corner of his room. "Mr. Stark? Is that you? Am I still dreaming?" Peter asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It's me, kid. I just had to make sure you were alright. Happy told me everything. I was wrong earlier about taking away your suit, I'm sorry about that. You did good. I'm proud," Tony said, feeling exceptionally vulnerable.

"Oh...well...thank you Mr. Stark, that really means a lot. Sorry about all the damage, I tried to keep it low, I really did! I-" Peter was cut off by Tony.

"You almost die, and you worry about the damage you caused? Have you seen what we have left behind? Trust me kid, compared to us what you did looks like a toddler who forgot to put his legos away before bed. God, you're so selfless. It makes me sick. You're too good for a hero. Not enough character defects." Tony stood up and turned on the lights, making Peter shut his eyes and burrow under the blankets.

"Sorry," Tony said, trying to remain calm after he got a glimpse of the bruises on Peter. He turned on the light because he wanted to know just how bad Peter was hurt. He almost felt like he would be better off not knowing. Peter slowly crawled out of his blanket, and as more skin was revealed, Tony felt so much worse.

Peter seemed to sense Tony's unease because he asked, "Mr. Stark? Is everything okay?"

"Am I okay? Look at you! You're more purple than flesh-toned! Peter, why didn't you come to the tower? I could've had you patched up better." Tony was now drowning in guilt (more so than usual). Peter had to be hurting, and even though he could heal much easier and faster than a regular human, it didn't mean anything to Tony. The kid was, well, a kid! He shouldn't have a near-death experience every other week.

"I didn't want you to be mad at me for going against what you said, and I also wasn't hurt that bad! I knew most of this would be gone by morning, and it's Saturday, so there's no school, which meant I could stay in and away from people and heal more-"

"You were worried I would get mad? Peter, being angry with you would be the least of my concerns if I saw how you look. Oh God, how much worse was it a few hours ago? Peter, I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you." Tony was now hiding his face in his hands. What was this concern he felt? When Steve would get hit he would point and laugh. Every time Clint got whacked in the head by something they fought, Tony would more likely yell a snarky remark at him than actually help. Maybe it was the fact that Peter was so young. Yeah, that was it. Basic human instinct to protect a child. Of course. Tony definitely didn't have any special attachment to Peter. He was just feeling a natural human reaction.

"Sorry, Mr. Stark. I'll come see you if it happens again. I'm glad you're here, I really am, but you don't seem so good. Are you sure you're okay?" Peter got off the bed and walked over to sit on the floor next to Tony, and set a comforting hand on Tony's arm.

"I'm just upset with myself. Nothing new, don't worry your pretty little head about it. You should get to bed, yeah? I'll come back later and we can talk about upgrades for your suit." 

"I'll go back now, if that's okay. I don't really want May to see me like this, God knows she won't let me go out ever again if she knew. It's not your fault, Tony. I know you think it is, and that's why you won't look at me right now, but it really isn't your problem."

Tony moved his hands away from his face and looked up. "You can come back with me, kid. I need to get back too, nobody knows I'm gone. Happy's gonna have an aneurysm if he can't find me." Peter nodded, and got up, disregarding the fact that Tony didn't acknowledge the second part of his statement. Tony was a fragile creature, and Peter learned not to push too hard on things like that. Tony waited as Peter got dressed and packed his bag, wincing every time a new mark came into his vision. 

When they got outside, Tony led Peter to his new self-driving car. It was an electric blue convertible and it had everything a person could ever want in a car. Tony had taken it out since it was the only one of his cars that wasn't trackable yet. He really didn't want anybody to know why he was at Peter's apartment at the crack of dawn. Peter gawked at the car, excitedly asking questions about it, and pushing all the buttons to see what they did. Tony smiled at Peter's childlike glee, one he hadn't known for a very long time. He loved the focused look on Peter's face while he listened intently to Tony's answers to all his questions. It was nice to have somebody around who was actually intelligent enough to understand what Tony was talking about. 

The ride was uneventful, but Peter's stories about school and stupid jokes helped lessen Tony's immense guilt, at least for the moment anyways. When they arrived at the Avengers tower, the two went into Tony's lab and plopped down on the soft couches hidden in a cozy corner. There wasn't much to be done that day, and the two endlessly geeked out with each other over everything. Every time Peter spoke about an achievement of his, Tony beamed with pride. That's strange, he couldn't care less when Steve anonymously won an art contest last week. Oh well, Peter's test was probably more interesting.

~~~

By late afternoon, they had crawled out of their corner and were in the middle of enjoying their snacks when Sam walked in. "Hey Tony, hey Tony Jr.," Sam greeted, walking past them to get to the refrigerator. Tony choked on his apple. 

"What do you mean "Tony Jr.?" He asked between coughs.

"You're always being a helicopter parent around the kid. He's turning into you, man. Whenever we do dumb shit, it's either an "I don't care" or "Jump off a higher building next time". When this kid does it, all of a sudden you break out the same lecture my mama gave me whenever I pulled some grade A dumbassery. You clearly have a favorite," Sam said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well...I...He's a kid for Christ's sake! I'm supposed to mentor him and teach him how to be an Avenger! My job is to make sure he doesn't end up like you guys. It's too late for all of you but Peter is an intelligent boy who doesn't need your bad influences to corrupt him!" Tony stuttered out.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." And with that, Sam left the kitchen, holding a sandwich that had "STEVE'S FOOD DO NOT TOUCH" written on the wrapper in huge letters. Tony looked over to Peter, who had sat quietly through the event. Peter stared back at Tony, then looked away, and the two awkwardly continued the conversation they were having before Sam walked in.

~~~

Before Peter left that night, Tony said, "Hey, come by next weekend, we can work on that formula for web fluid you told me about, and we can annoy Steve again." Peter beamed and told Tony he would love to, and a new closeness between them stemmed from there.

Weekend events like this became more and more normal over time, with Peter eventually staying on the weekends until he had to go to school. The other Avengers loved him and had no problem with this, though the teasing about Peter being Tony's kid got a bit worse. Still, Tony laughed it off, ignoring the fact that since the event where Peter almost died, he had become somewhat of a helicopter parent. Not enough to become annoying, but enough where he knew Peter's basic schedule and where he was planning on fighting the villain of the week.

Tony would help Peter with projects on any occasion where it was needed, pester him about eating enough, and teach him anything he asked about. Slowly, Tony had become a father figure for Peter. As much as Tony refused to admit it, he had also become fond of Peter and saw him like his kid. This little spiderling had worked his way into the part of Tony's heart that always wanted a kid, but was too afraid to have. The two were very close and had a level of trust that was pretty much unseen in their line of work. Every Avenger had their people that would hide bodies for them. Clint and Nat were best friends, no mistaking that. Steve and Bucky would take each other's secrets to the grave as well. Tony had often felt excluded, since he already had huge trust issues. Pepper and Rhodey were it for him until Peter came along. And Peter had nobody before that.

One fateful night, Peter was up late watching a movie with some of the others. He was leaning on Tony and had his feet in Wanda's lap. Steve was next to her, Bucky snoring on his shoulder. Peter was very tired, but he didn't want to sleep yet, since the next day was Monday, which meant he had to go home. Tony picked up on Peter's reluctance to sleep, and softly spoke into his ear, "Go to sleep, Pete. I'll wake you up when the movie ends."

Peter yawned, and said, barely above a whisper, "Okay. Goodnight, dad." He then fell asleep immediately.

"Did Peter just call you dad?" Steve asked, looking dumbfounded. 

"He did! That's so cute," Wanda chimed in, smiling softly. The two looked at Tony, expecting him to respond.

"The kid's just tired, leave him alone," Tony said without conviction. He couldn't fight the smile on his face, though. The only Avengers still awake smiled at him and let it be.

~~~

That night after Peter was in bed and Tony was in his own room, he said, "FRIDAY, save Peter calling me dad to my personal files."

"Yes, boss," FRIDAY responded, as Tony smiled to himself.

Okay, so maybe Tony's feelings were motherly panic and not just human instinct. Still, he had adopted Peter in his mind, and would never, ever give him back. Tony swore he would keep his spider forever, and if anybody dared to harm Peter that managed to get away, well. God help them.


End file.
